Max's Best DVD Picks

My pick of the month is a French drama with some of the most beautiful music in a movie in years. Beautiful Emmanuelle Baert plays a concert violinist who becomes intrigued by her lover’s business partner, played by the incomparable Daniel Auteuil. Trouble is, he is incapable of feeling or expressing love, thus the movie’s title. Claude Sautet directs this “superb, deceptively complex, haunting” menage-a-trios (The Washington Post). Beautifully filmed and acted, in French with English subtitles. From Koch Lorber Films.

PRESTON STURGES: THE FILMMAKER COLLECTION

Where is the great creator of some of the funniest movies of the 1930s and 1940s when we need him so badly? He’s returned in restored editions of some of his greatest comedy classics, some of which never have been on DVD before. The hilarious collection includes my personal favorites THE LADY EVE and THE PALM BEACH STORY, as well as SULLIVAN’S TRAVELS, CHRISTMAS IN JULY, THE GREAT MOMENT, HAIL THE CONQUERING HERO, and THE GREAT McGINTY. If you’ve tired long ago of the juvenile, mindless Hollywood movies that pass as comedies these days, treat yourself and your loved ones to this treasure trove of some of the best of Hollywood comedies of the golden age. Stars include Joel McCrea, Barbara Stanwyck, Henry Fonda, Claudette Colbert, Brian Donlevy, Mary Astor, Veronica Lake, Betty Hutton, and Eddie Bracken. Close to stealing every scene from the stars are the supporting cast of Sturges’ films including Charles Coburn, William Demarest, Eric Blore, and Eugene Pallette. A must-have for your DVD collection, from Universal, although the movies were originally made by Paramount Studios. Now we can only hope a follow-up collection of the rest of Sturges’ comedies follows this one.

CASANOVA

Not the Heath Ledger mishmash, but the recently televised Masterpiece Theatre production starring Peter O’Toole as the legendary ladies’ man in his senior years and David Tennant (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) as the rake in his younger years. It includes some scenes not shown on the BBC telecast. It’s a bawdy, fun look into 18th century Europe and a welcome relief from the mindless stuff being put out by Hollywood. From WGBH Boston Video.

For fans of the popular British television detective series, the 4th series with Lynley (Nathaniel Parker) and Det. Sgt. Havers (Sharon Small) in four new intriguing contemporary mysteries from the imagination of best-selling author Elizabeth George. The boxed set is from WGBH Boston Video.

A good British drama about a retired safecracker who becomes a hostage and a pawn in a tangled web of crime when his son-in-law runs afoul of a ruthless loan shark. Critics call it “a stylish nail-biting drama.” No name stars but the cast is excellent. From BFS Entertainment.

Charles Durning and Steve Harris star in this satirical, funny, and overtly political drama that parodies the manipulation of the legal system and the win-at-all-costs world of pro football. The drama was an official selection at the Sundance Film Festival and others. From American Home Treasures and BFS Entertainment.

A popular Australian television comedy with Ruth Cracknell as the eccentric mother of her recently-divorced son, played by Garry McDonald. It won several awards as a show and for its writing and stars. From BFS Entertainment.

It’s rare that a documentary, especially one not involving sex or crime, becomes a huge box office attraction, but that’s what happened last summer to this extraordinary film in which former Vice President Al Gore cautions about the potential deadly effects of global warming. No matter what political party you belong to, this is a must-see documentary now released on DVD by Paramount Home Entertainment. “The DVD is a vital way for us to continue the conversation about global warming with even more Americans,” says Gore. “As more and more people understand what’s at stake, they become part of the solution, and share both in the challenges and opportunities presented by the climate crises.” The back of the DVD urges teachers to visit www.climatecrisis.org where they can download a free educational guide that can be used in classrooms. A portion of the sale of each DVD will be donated to Alliance for Climate Protection, a bipartisan environmental group.

This excellent film documents the tragedy of one Iraqi family’s grief and desperation resulting from the U.S. invasion of their country. New York director Andrew Berends’ film takes us into a day in the life of the Iraqi citizens who, surprisingly enough, are not much different than any other family in the U.S. They just suffered the very personal consequences of the war by losing loved ones, as nearly 3,000 American families now share the same loss. “The Blood of My Brothers breaks down the cultural barriers that lie between a war-torn country, its people, and those at home watching the raging conflict on CNN,” says The New York Daily News. From Lifesize Entertainment.

The dean of television interview, Murrow took viewers into the homes of many of the 20th century’s most well-known people from 1953 to 1959. Among those interviewed in this more than 7-hour set of DVDs are John F. Kennedy, Humphrey Bogart, Milton Berle, Jerry Lewis, Liberace, Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, and Frank Sinatra. Great nostalgia from Koch Vision.

NOVA’S exciting boxed set of DVDs explores military aircraft from the historic to the latest in aviation warfare, as well as offering top secret plans for future military aircraft. Four exciting documentaries from WGBH Boston Video.

The BBC Television 13-part documentary tells the true story of how Walter Thompson, a Scotland Yard detective, saved the life of Prime Minister Winston Churchill several times from 1921 through the end of World War II. Some examples: With help from Lawrence of Arabia, he saved Churchill’s life on an Egyptian train; he threw himself over Churchill to protect him from an IRA assassin; and he pulled a knife-wielding countess from Churchill’s throat. Exciting historical drama from Acorn Media.

Two true dramas from the wars: THE KILLING FIELDS is about the servants, grooms, and gardeners from King George V’s Norfolk estate who made up the Sandringham Company that vanished during battle in 1915. THE HOME FRONT tells the exciting story of a French priest who aided the Resistance during World War II. Excellent historical drama from WGBH Boston Video.

The 9/11 hijackers are revealed in this British television movie not as demons or psychopaths but well-educated men from middle-class families who became suicide fanatics. The film, based on two years of research, interviews, and trial transcripts, focuses on the transformation of the most reluctant hijacker, Ziad Jarrah, who was recruited into the Al Qaeda cell in Hamburg, Germany, and became the pilot of United Flight 93. Originally seen on HBO and Showtime, the film is distributed on DVD by Acorn Media.

On the lighter side, the beloved comic’s television specials are reprised in this 4-disc set. His guests from 1976 to 1986 included Bob Hope, Johnny Carson, Milton Berle, Ronald Reagan, James Stewart, Dianne Warwick. Wonderful humor and nostalgia from Kultur International.

Tennis players and fans of the sport will feel especially treated by four new DVDs reliving highlights of some of the greatest games and stars of the famous Lawn Tennis championships. The set includes the 2006 Official Wimbledon Film, classic matches between Bjorn Borg and Vitas Gerulaitis in 1977 and between Roger Federer and Pete Sampras in 2001, and a separate DVD covering Sampras’s 15-year career. From SRO Sports, a division of Kultur International Films.

Long before everyone loves Raymond, television audiences loved the American housewife who could barely boil an egg when she got married, but became a cooking legend and culinary icon. Here are seven hours of highlights from the life and career of the beloved Julia Child including an interview and twelve episodes from her classic television cooking series, The French Chef. A wonderful treat from WGBH Boston Video.

Ezra Jack Keats’ watercolors are enchanting in the illustrator’s new, fresh telling of the Christmas classic about the crippled boy who travels to Bethlehem to celebrate the nativity with his humble drum. John Jennings’ drumming and vocals add to the holiday magic. It’s one of five holiday stories from popular children’s picture books that continue the high-standard tradition of the Scholastic Video Collection on DVD. The DVD would make a wonderful Christmas present for any child.

The owner of the only two movie theaters in the central Illinois town of Hoopeston, population 5,700, made headlines last month when he closed their doors in protest against the mindless movies coming out of Hollywood in recent years. Our hat is off to Greg Boardman, 52, who turned the lights off “Because of such poor film choices available.” His telephone customer hot line suggested that moviegoers instead “Go to Danville to see movies like ’Jackass 2.’” He explained, “There’s just so much lousy material out there… people vomiting on the screen. I have one of the finest sound systems in the world, and I don’t want to waste it on such drivel.” “A purist is too strong a word to describe Greg,” said Willis Johnson, head of the Classic Cinema Chain which has restored several old movie houses in the Chicago area. “But he really believes in the movie experience and in quality and in presenting something he can be proud of.” When the theaters closed, the town’s mayor lamented, saying “People don’t have anything to do.” Boardman gave in after two weeks and reopened the theaters by showing the new animated kids’ movie “Open Season” and the Disney football movie, “Invincible.” Maybe Boardman’s way is the only message Hollywood filmmakers will get.

I bet you didn't know, but besides reviewing movies, I sing opera. Click here to see and hear me rehearsing the Barcarolle from "Tales of Hoffman."

Maybe you would like to visit my master's web site with highlights of his huge collection of old movie magazines, Bijou Follies
Two more web sites I recommend are: Errol Flynn and Jeffrey Hunter

		November 2006

	by Max (with Walt Oleksy)	view previous issues here